How Las Cruces Public Schools is providing technology to 1 in 5 students who need it

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Before the pandemic, nearly 1 in 5 public school kids in Las Cruces did not have access to the technology they need to succeed, according to the district.

"The number at first sounded extraordinary," said Kelly Jameson, a spokeswoman for the district. "But every school pooled together their resources and determined that they were able to meet that need."

An estimated 4,500 students did not have access to a laptop or tablet at home, according to the district. Around 1,700 did not have access to the internet. The district has a total of 25,000 students.

"Our first priority was addressing which students needed technology," Jameson said.

While schools pooled their resources to find laptops, Jameson told ABC-7 that Comcast provided low-cost internet to students who needed it. She said the city of Las Cruces is paying for the internet for the next few months.

Some students live in remote areas without access to internet, Jameson said. For those students, the district is providing printed materials.

"Even though we can get devices to students, not all of them had internet access," Jameson said.